Production of acrylonitrile



1943- H. s. DAVIS ETAL 5 PRODUCTION OF ACRYLONITRILE Filed June 6, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS M49040 6 afl /J [PW/N4. C4FPEN7'f/?,

ATTORNEY Nov. 2, 1948.

Filed June 6, 1942 H. 5. DAVIS ETAL PRODUCTION OF ACRYLONITRILE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 UPPI'P T/ME //V HOOPS INVENTORS MSW ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 2, 1948 Harold S. Davis, Riverside, and Erwin L. Carpenter, Old Greenwich, Conn, assignors to American Cyanamid Company, New York,'N. Y., a

corporation of Maine Application June 6, 1942, Serial No. 446,068

7 Claims. (Cl. 260465.9)

The present invention relates to the production of a stable acrylonitrile, and more particularly to a method for the continuous production thereof from ethylene cyanohydrin.

This application is a continuation-in-part of an application of Davis and Carpenter, filed September 19, 1939, Serial Number 295,618, now abandoned. As disclosed in that application, acrylonitrile may be readily obtained by heating ethylene cyanohydrin in the presence of a sufficient amount of a catalyst comprising an inorganic compound having an alkaline reaction, such as, for example, calcium oxide, calcium hydroxide, magnesium oxide, sodium carbonate, potassium carbonate, sodium borate or trisodium phosphate. A preferred method for carrying out the invention was disclosed to involve introducing ethylene cyanohydrin into a distilling column containing the catalyst supported on an inert material such as chips of porcelain, pumice, brick or the like, the column being heated to a temperature sufficient to promote optimum dehydration of the ethylene cyanohydrin. A high boiling residue formed during the operation. Par- I ticular care was taken to remove the residue from the reaction zone in order to. prevent it from depositing cn the catalyst and rendering the latter inactive.

It is an object of this invention to provide a method for thecontinuous production of acrylonitrile from ethylene cyanohydrin. Another object is to avoid the use of the catalyst mentioned in the above process. A further object is to produce acrylonitrile which does not deteriorate under the influence of storage and shipping conditions. Other objects will appear hereinafter.

We have found that the above objects may be accomplished by heat ng the ethylene cyanohy-- drin in the presence of a sufficient amount of the residue result ng from the heat treatment of the ethylene cyanohydrin disclosed in the above iden tifird copendlng application. Under these conditions dehydration of the ethylene cyanohydrin takes place readily as may be expressed by the following overall equation:

The dehydration operation may be conveniet: tlv carried out at temperat res varying over a wide range, for example, bet een 140 C, and 240 C. However, operating at a temperature above 240 C. the tendency to coke formation becomes serious, while at temperatures below 140 C. the rate of acrylonitrile production is uneconomical. A

2 preferred temperature for the reaction is within the range of 190 C. to 230 C.

The quality of the ethylene cyanohydrin employed is relatively unimportant. For instance. crude ethylene cyanohydrin usually contains a sufllcient quantity of the residue to immediately produce the reaction. It is necessary that a high grade ethylene cyanohydrin be given an initial heating of from 1 to 2. hours in order to form a sufliclent quantity of the residue to effect dehydration. By the word "residue as used in the claims is meant the residue here described.

The residue remaining after dehydration of ethylenecyanohydrin is a hard brown solid with a rosin-like fracture It is not truly crystalline but is probably a supercooled liquid. It begins to soften when heated to about C., and is a viscous black liquid at 230 C. In the cold it has no odor, but when heated it gives a characteristic amine or amide-like odor. It is extremely hygroscopic and completely soluble in water, moderately soluble in ethyl alcohol, sparingly soluble in acetone, and substantially insoluble in solvents such as benzene, ether, chloroform and carbon tetrachloride. Analyses of representative samples give 49.32% carbon, 6.27% hydrogen and 14.90% nitrogen.

Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings shows a diagrammatic view of an apparatus suitable for the production of acrylonitrile in accordance with our invention, while Fig. 2 shows the volume of products obtained per hour during a typical run.

Operation may, for example, be accomplished in the apparatus of Fig. 1 which is suitable for continuous operation, by introducing a charge of ethylene cyanohydrin and the residue but predominantly ethylene cyanohydrin into the reaction vessel 4 provided with a heating jacket 5, and a, stirrer 6 and draft tube 1 for keeping the charge thoroughly agitated. The charge is then heated by means of jacket 5, preferably at a temperature between C. and 230 C., and held at substantially the same temperature during the run. Ethylene cyanohydrin is fed from storage tank I by means of pump 2 through sight glass 3 to the vessel 4 at a rate suiiicient to maintain the level of the charge just above the overflow trap 8. Any liquid which passes-through the trap 8 is collected and may be either returned to the reaction vessel 4 through receiver I2 or utilized as the initial charge in a subsequent run. As the operation proceeds and more of the residue forms in vessel 4, the charge becomes predominately residue and the overflow from 8 is withheld from the system. The emerging vapors of acrylonitrile, water and unreacted ethylene cyanohydrin pass from the reaction zone through line 9 into the fractionating tower ID. The head of tower I is maintained at 80-i00 C. by cooling water passing through condenser l3 so that acrylonitrile and water vapors pass on to condenser I4 while the ethylene cyanohydrin vapors condense and return to the reaction vessel 4 through line I I. The condensate of acrylonitrile and water resulting from the cooling action of condenser i4 passes through the cooling vessel l5 and on to vessel I6. The condenser I 4 and cooling vessel I5 are kept cool by circulatingwater or cold brine solution. The corn densate in vessel I I6 stratifies into two layers, the lower orwater layer passing through line I! to receiving vessel I8 while the upper or acrylonitrile layer passes through line I 9 to receiving vessel 20. The acrylonitrile is withdrawn from vessel and may be refined, as for example, by fractional distillation. A small amount of acrylonitrile remaining in the water layer may be recovered by suitable means such as immediate neutralization by acid and rectification.

This invention is illustrated more fully by the following examples. 7

Example 1 gallons of vacuum distilled ethylene cyanohydrin were placedin storage tank I of the apparatus described above. Then one gallon was transferred to the vessel 4 by means of pump 2. This quantity was sufficient to fill the reaction vessel 4 to a level just above the overflow trap 8. In order to initially form the residue, heat was supplied by the heating jacket 5 until the contents of'the reaction vessel 4 reached a temperature of about 220 0., and the ethylene cyanohydrin vapors were passing freely into the tower Ill. The head of the fractionating tower I0 was maintained at 80-100 C. by condenser l3 so that the ethylene cyanohydrin condensed and returned as liquid to the reaction vessel 4 through the line I l. Any liquid passing through the overflow trap 8 was collected and returned to the vessel 4 through the receiver l2. These were the conditions at the beginning o hours, in the time log of the run as shown in Fig. 2.

Operating under these conditions no distillate of acrylonitrile and water was formed for a period of about 1.5 hours. After the first appearance of the distillate in vessel I6 the rate of production of the acrylonitrile gradually increased up to about the sixth hour and then remained substantially constant during the remainder of the run. Up to and including the twelfth hour of the run all liquid overflowing at trap 8 was returned to the reaction vessel 4 through receiver I2. The ethylene cyanohydrin was continually fed from tank I to the reaction'vessel 4 at a rate sufiicient to keep the level of the charge above the overflow 8. The charge was thoroughly agitated and held at a temperature between 220 and 230 0.

During the course of the run the reaction mixture in vessel 4 darkened and became more viscous, audits content of residue gradually increased. At the sixth hour of the run the ethylene cyanohydrin content of the charge had fallen to about 70%; at the end of the twelfth hour the charge was substantially all residue, with onlya low content of ethylene cyanohydrin. From the twelfth hour on, the overflow from 8 was not returned to the reaction vessel but was collected separately, because it was predqminately residue containing only small quantities of ethylene cyanohydrin.

At the end of twenty-five hours of operation the ethylene cyanohydrin feed was discontinued and all materials were withdrawn from the apparatus and measured. The dehydration vessel was found to be free from coke and in good operating condition.

The total feed of ethylene cyanohydrin was- 210 lbs.; the upper layer of distillate was 131.6 lbs; the lower layer of distillate was 49.5 lbs.; the residue was 24 lbs. The upper layer of distillate was refined to a product within the commercial specifications for acrylonitrile in quantity corresponding to a yield of 82% of theory based on the ethylene cyanohydrin utilized.

The refined product is a clear liquid, having the following properties:

Distillation range, 76.0 C.-79.0 0..

Specific gravity, 25 C./25 0., 0.8025,

Acidity, less than 0.02% expressed as acetic acid,

Aldehyde, less than 0.01% expressed as acetaldehyde,

N0 hydrocyanic acid.

This product after being stored in glass and iron containers for periods of from six to ten months showed no change in the properties listed above.

Example 2 Example 3 112 pounds of crude ethylene cyanohydrin prepared from ethylene oxide and hydrocyanic acid according to the method described in U. S. ap-

plication, Serial Number 256,676, filed Febru ary 16, 1939, was dehydrated in the apparatus shown in Fig. 1 substantially according to the procedure of Example 1. This particular sample of crude ethylene cyanohydrin contained about of residue. The yield of acrylonitrlle from the upper layer of distillate was of theory.

In the past. olefinic nitrlles have been looked upon as relatively unstable compounds. Acryl'onitrile, for example,has been known to deteriorate and change largely into a solid in a few days and even in a few hours. Properties of this compound, such as acidity and color. have been known to change under normal storage conditions which may be detrimental to its value as a commodity. This potential instabilit of acrylonitrile during storage has been without doubt one of the major obstacles met in the development of its manufacture to the scale where it could be shipped ior example. in drums or tank cars.

We have found that the refined acrylonitrile prepared either in accordance with the present invention or by the method of our above mentioned copending application is a stable product, and that it can be stored for extended periods in iron tanks and drums without developing traces of hydrocyanic acid or otherwise deteriorating. It remains stable when shipped in tank cars, and

can b used without further processing in many industries, forexample, in the manufacture of. artificial rubber.

While the invention has been described with particular reference to specific embodiments, it is to be understood that it is not to be limited thereto but is to be construed broadly and restricted solely by the scope of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. The method of producing acrylonitrile which consists of heating ethylene cyanohydrin in the.

presence of a sufilcient amount of a residue resulting from the heat treatment of the ethylene cyanohydrin so as to cause dehydration of the ethylene cyanohydrin.

. ously removing the -vaporous products and recovering the acrylonitrile therefrom.

5. The method of claim 4 which includes the 4 step of continuously removing residue from the charge.

6. In the method for the production of acrylonitrile the steps which consist of continuously 6 introducing ethylene cyanohydrin into,a charge. of residue resulting from the heat treatment of the ethylene cyanohydrin heated at a temperature of from C. to 230 C., continuously removing vapors of acrylonitrile, water and ethylene cyanohydrin, separating the ethylene cyanohydrin from the acrylonitrile and water vapors, re-

turning the ethylene cyanohydrin to the charge,

condensing the vapors of acrylonitrile and water, permitting the condensate of acrylonitrile and water to stratify into two layers, continuously removing the lower or water layer and the upper or acrylonitrile layer, and recovering the acrylonitrile.

'7. The method of claim 6 which includes the step of continuously removing residue from the charge.

HAROLD S. DAVIS.

ERWIN L. CARPENTER."

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name I Date 2,097,155 Groll et a1. Oct. 26, 1937 2,263,436 Britton et al Nov. 18. 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 496,372 Germany Apr. 24, 1930 

